Asia and the Middle East have claimed eight shortlisted entries out of the 127 announced in this year’s Direct Lions category at the 2026 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, and one shop is responsible for more than a third of them.
Ogilvy Singapore enters the festival with two campaigns for Vaseline pulling five shortlists between them. “The Nipple Sponsorship” picked up nods in Healthcare and Small-Scale Media, while “Vaseline Originals” was shortlisted across Use of Social Platforms, Co-Creation & User-Generated Content, and Launch/Relaunch.
The rest of the region’s presence is spread across single shortlists: Saudi Arabia and the UAE combined for a joint entry from Publicis KSA and Saatchi & Saatchi ME placed two separate campaigns from Mumbai-based shops, Malaysia and Japan each landed one.
Healthcare
- “The Nipple Sponsorship” by Ogilvy Singapore for Vaseline (Singapore)
Travel, Leisure, Retail, Restaurants & Fast-Food Chains
- “Let It Fly” by Publicis KSA, Jeddah / Saatchi & Saatchi ME, Dubai for Saudia Airlines (Saudi Arabia / United Arab Emirates)
Small-Scale Media
- “The Nipple Sponsorship” by Ogilvy Singapore for Vaseline (Singapore)
- “Let It Fly” by Publicis KSA, Jeddah / Saatchi & Saatchi ME, Dubai for Saudia Airlines (Saudi Arabia / United Arab Emirates)
Use of Real-Time Data
- “Chat with the 4th Judge” by BigTime Creative Shop, Riyadh for The Ring (Saudi Arabia)
Use of Social Platforms
- “Vaseline Originals” by Ogilvy Singapore for Vaseline (Singapore)
Co-Creation & User-Generated Content
- “Vaseline Originals” by Ogilvy Singapore for Vaseline (Singapore)
Experience Design
- “Blinkstop” by 82.5 Mumbai / Grey India, Mumbai for Blinkstop (India)
Launch/Relaunch
- “Vaseline Originals” by Ogilvy Singapore for Vaseline (Singapore)
Challenger Brand
- “Seat with a View” by VML Riyadh for Flynas (Saudi Arabia)
Social Behaviour
- “Iftar O’Clock” by TBWA\Malaysia for 7-Eleven (Malaysia)
Cultural Engagement
- “The Kolhapuri” by VML India for Kalapuri (India)
- “Voice of Food” by Dentsu Tokyo for Ajinomoto Co., Inc. (Japan)
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity takes place from June 22 to 26 in Cannes, France. Check out the complete Direct Lions shortlist.
Check our adobo Magazine for the latest Cannes Lions 2026 winners, highlights, and breaking festival coverage from Cannes.
